


The Beach

by elizabethemerald



Series: ATLA Stories [6]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, Past Abuse, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25094989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethemerald/pseuds/elizabethemerald
Summary: The Gaang take a much needed break on the banks of a secluded pond. Katara enjoys the water but is curious why Azula is so hesitant to doff her armor and swim.
Relationships: Azula/Katara (Avatar)
Series: ATLA Stories [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768270
Comments: 28
Kudos: 251





	The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Zuko and Aang flew off on Appa to ask Iroh some fire bending questions. The rest of the Gaang is hanging out. Having gay awakenings. Healing from past traumas together. The usual.

Katara took a running dive into the water. As she dove she bent the water up to meet her so she could dive from shallow shore. She enjoyed the feeling of the water rushing over her body. She carefully bent the water around her, pulling her down and down until she settled on the silty bottom of the small pond. 

She sat there for a moment, allowing herself to relax as the water eddied around her body. The Gaang had been on the run again the past couple of weeks. It was nice to able to slow down a little and actually spend time enjoying her element. She stayed at the bottom until her lungs started to burn. 

Katara pushed off the murky bottom and propelled herself to the surface. She bent the water of the pond around herself drawing it in and up. She rocketed out of the water, suspending herself twenty feet above the pond’s surface for a moment. She felt like the statue in a fountain, as the water flowed around her, trickling off her fingers and running down her hair. 

From her vantage point she looked around at the grove they had found themselves in. Toph was laying down on the shore, wiggling her toes in the mud of the bank. Sokka was sitting on a rock, his feet dangling in the water as he closely studied a map in his hands. Azula was further up the beach, still fully dressed, a sour expression on her face. 

As she emerged from the water, Sokka looked up his eyebrows shooting to his hair line at her display. He clapped his hands then help up all his fingers, the classic way of saying he rated her waterbending at a ten. Toph didn’t react, only tilting her head towards the sound of rushing water, then towards Sokka’s location. When neither seemed to indicate a threat she leaned back down in the mud. 

Katara couldn’t help herself but watch Azula’s reaction from the corner of her eye. The other girl’s jaw had dropped. Her carefully neutral expression, that was her usual facade, so often twisted by the scar on her face, had dropped completely in that moment. She carefully schooled her face again when Katara turned and made eye contact with her. 

With a rush of water Katara allowed the pond to return to its previously calm state. Sokka preemptively lifted his maps away from the flow of water, while Toph used the opportunity to sink in the mud a little deeper a contented smile on her face. Katara flowed down with water, bending it so she stepped out of the water far up the beach, just a few steps from Azula. 

Azula’s face, otherwise schooled showed her mood by a hint of color rising in her cheek. Katara smiled at her, before kneeling down so she could see her clearly. 

“Azula, do you want to go swimming with me?” Katara asked. 

Katara carefully watched the journey Azula’s face went on, even though she tried to hide it. The one emotion she saw that she wasn’t expecting was fear. Azula’s emphatic shaking of her head confirmed that she was afraid of something. Katara leaned forward carefully, concern clear on her face. She knew the lightning bender was afraid of fire after what happened to her, but why would she be afraid of going swimming?

“‘Zula. Is there reason you don’t want to swim?” 

Katara could see that Azula was hot in her armor, and had definitely been eyeing the water since they arrived in a way that made it seem like she wanted to take a dip. Azula looked around nervously. 

“Is Zuzu back?” Azula signed, seeming to ignore the question for a moment. 

“No. He and Aang probably won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” Katara said. Then she saw Azula look at something over her shoulder. Katara looked back and saw her brother side eyeing the two of them. Azula’s eyes widened and her breath came a little faster. 

Katara stood and immediately bent a wall of water around the two of them. She froze the wall in an arc, cutting them off from the other two. Though she was careful to leave an opening at Azula’s back so she could leave if she wanted to. She sat down next to the other girl, safe from prying eyes. 

“Azula?” Katara hesitated. She knew Azula could respond angrily, and didn’t want to pressure her. “If you want I won’t ask about it, or ask you to swim again, but is there a reason you don’t want to swim?”

Azula closed her eyes tightly. Then she slowly nodded her head. Katara put out a hand to touch her shoulder but hesitated again. However, before she could withdraw her hand, Azula leaned into the comfort. She slowly undid the cuffs of the fire nation garb she still wore. Katara watched in confusion for a moment until Azula pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. 

Katara quickly bit off the gasp that cut its way past her lips. Azula’s wrists bore horrific burn scars. Each wrist had a burn that completely circled it, the mottled skin still discolored, despite how long ago they had been done. 

“Close your eyes.” Azula signed without looking at her. 

Katara pressed her eyes closed, trying to hold back tears. To her confusion she heard the shuffling of fabric then felt a tap on her arm. She opened her eyes and the tears she had tried to hide broke free. 

Azula was turned away from her, her heavy black jacket undone to the waist and folded down so her back and her breastband were visible. And across her back...a spiderwebbing scar that could only be done by getting hit by lightning bending. Katara had seen similar scars many times, from elders in her village who had fought the Fire nation soldiers to citizens in the Earth Kingdom who had been scared into compliance. 

The lightning scar originated from the center of her back and covered almost all of the skin there. Jagged lines also wrapped around her shoulders and ribs from where the electricity had traveled through her body. 

“Does it still hurt?” Katara asked softly. She hovered her hand over Azula’s back, not daring to touch her. Azula shook her head, still facing away. 

“Nerve damage.” She signed to the side. 

Katara had heard about that. The lightning bending of the Fire Nation, it struck so deep that it destroyed the body’s ability to process the pain. 

“These still do.” Azula signed again before showing the burns on her wrists. Her signs stuttered out, like she couldn’t form what she wanted to say, or like she had a sentence that she wanted to leave hanging. Then she turned around. 

Katara couldn’t cut off the gasp this time. Logically she had known that the burn on Azula’s face had extended further down, but that did nothing to prepare for it to be revealed completely. While the burns on her wrists were deeper, two solid rings of scarred tissue, the scar on her throat looked so much worse. 

From her experience with dealing with burns, both those of her friends and strangers they’ve met on the road, plus Aang learning firebending from Zuko, Katara could get a good gage on the two injuries. The ones on her wrists were a controlled punishment. Like the burn on Zuko’s face. The firebender had purposefully burned her in a way that hurt and would hamper her movement, without crippling her. 

The burn on her throat was different. There was no control in the pattern of this scarring. And worst of all, Katara could clearly make out the handprint on her throat, an adult’s hand. The bender had allowed their flames to burn wildly while they choked her, burning her throat and up her face. 

Katara didn’t hesitate to throw her arms around Azula’s shoulders. Azula stiffened, but didn’t pull away. After a moment she relaxed into Katara’s hug. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, ‘Zula.” 

Azula kept the tears at bay for as long as she could, but soon she was crying right alongside Katara. They held each other tightly as soft sobs shook their bodies. Katara kept holding her until Azula pulled back. 

“You said these still hurt?” Katara asked looking at the scars on her wrists.

Azula nodded. “My wrists and my throat hurt the most. I can’t feel my back at all.”

Katara broke a chunk of ice off the surrounding wall, and allowed it to melt till the cool water was flowing gently around her fingers. She looked up to Azula’s face. 

“May I?”

When Azula nodded Katara brought the healing energy out of the water. Azula’s face glowed softly in the light of water. Katara watched a pinched look at the corners of her eyes fade. She hadn’t even realized that pained expression had been there so often that Katara had assumed that was how Azula’s face looked. 

“No one has ever seen these before.” Azula signed, her hands moving slower so they stayed in healing stream of water that Katara was weaving. “Other than Zuzu and Iroh. Now you have.”

There was an unasked question in that statement Katara felt. She immediately pulled Azula into another tight hug. She kept her chin on Azula’s shoulder while she spoke. 

“I would never judge you for your scars.” Katara whispered. 

Azula relaxed into her grip again. Then Katara could feel her trying to sign against her belly and leaned back to see what she was saying. 

“Scars like this are shameful in the Fire Nation.” Azula signed. “A sign that you were beaten by another Fire Bender. Shamed by them. That’s why the Fire Lord gave them to me.”

“There is nothing shameful about having scars!” Katara said, cold fury in her voice. “The only shame belongs on your father’s head for hurting you.” 

Katara thought for a moment, allowing the healing water to flow gently over Azula’s wrists. She reached towards her face, but Azula pulled back away from her. Katara returned her attention to her wrists. 

“No one here is going to shame you for your scars. We’ve all been marked by this war.”

She turned over hands showing the soft scars on her own hands, from when Aang had first been learning fire bending, when she had first discovered she could use water to heal. Her scars weren’t nearly as bad, considering they had been healed almost immediately after and often sense. 

“But if you don’t want to swim, I won’t ask you again, and I’ll make sure the others leave you alone.”

Azula looked away for a moment, then nodded her head. Katara helped her out of her armor until both girls were in clothes that would be more comfortable to swim in. Once they were ready she changed the water from ice to water, but kept the wall around the two of them as they walked toward the pond. 

“Toph! Do you think you could make the pond more muddy?” Katara called to their friend. 

“Sure thing, Sugar Queen.” Toph pushed her feet deeper into the mud, then thrust her fists forward, then extended her fingers. The water of the pond suddenly became a murky brown that none of them could see through. 

Katara easily bent the muddy water up around Azula as the two of them walked into the pond. Once she was in the water Azula immediately lowered herself down so only her head was above the water. 

“Hey Sokka! Do you want to come swim with us?” Katara called to her brother. 

“Nah. I’m still working on this map.” He said dismissively. Though she could tell he had been waiting nervously for her and Azula to finish talking. Katara subtly bent the water at his feet to freeze into a block of ice, grabbing him. He looked up surprised, then met her eyes, and saw her subtle glance to where Azula was. “Actually you know what? I think you’re right time for a break.”

The ice block released him and he stood to place the maps far away from the water. He took off his shirt revealing two identical half moon scars on either side of his chest. He strode into the water up to his waist. 

“Hey Toph! How about joining us as well?” He said. 

“Nope!” Toph said dismissively. 

Sokka walked back out of the water until his feet were on solid ground. 

“Hey Toph! How about joining us as well?” He asked again. 

Toph sat up, throwing mud off her. 

“Yeah sounds great.”

She tossed her mud filled clothes to the bank then paddled slowly into the pond. Sokka caught up to her and she grabbed his arm while they waded back and forth. Katara could see her scars as well. From training with the badgermoles, or fighting in the arena with the other earthbenders. 

Katara didn’t have to point out their scars to Azula. She knew she saw them in the way her eyes would flick to a scar then away and in how she slowly allowed herself to stand in the water or swim around. Katara smiled at her and swam alongside her, laughing as she would bend a little water at her or one of their other friends. Sokka walked in the pond, the water up to his ribs, just making slow circles in the muddy water. Toph clung to him like a koalamonkey, kicking her legs as he walked them in circles. He would splash Katara any time she came near, and kept a running monologue of what was happening around him for Toph’s benefit. 

Just when Katara thought her mood couldn’t get any higher a shadow passed over them and she could hear Appa’s growl. Aang saw them all in the pond from the air and immediately jumped off the skybison towards the pond. He shed his clothes as he fell and threw them to the beach. He landed with an incredible splash then began swimming and playing with the others. His own scars were on display, frost burn from his time in the ice, and various other burns and scars from surviving this long as the Avatar. 

Zuko landed Appa and unloaded him quickly before shedding his shirt and joining them all in the pond. His scar on his face was the most obvious but he also had scars from training and combat on his arms and across his chest. He seemed surprised to see Azula swimming with the rest of them, but his surprise turned to joy and delight to see how happy she was. 

Both Sokka and Aang saw Azula’s scars. They didn’t need Katara’s harsh glare not to say anything, but she had to make sure. Sokka’s face twisted in horror and rage, before he put his careful mask on of a goofy idiot, making poor jokes. Aang’s face fell, as his grief overwhelmed him, but he quickly air scootered away until he was composed again. 

Even Toph felt them when she latched onto Azula’s arm during one of the games they played. She didn’t say anything, but when she next grabbed onto Katara’s arm, she held on both a little tighter and a little gentler. 

The war had marked them all. Maybe together they could start to heal the marks, and move forward. 

**Author's Note:**

> Azula has a "Name sign" for each member of the Gaang.   
> Katara's is a K moved forward like a wave.   
> Aang's is an A moved to the side of her body, like it's dodging a blow.   
> Sokka's is an S tapped to her temple, because she thinks he's a dunce at first.   
> Toph's is a closed fist thrust forward than moved to the side, based on one of Toph's earthbending moves.   
> Iroh's is just Uncle. She doesn't have any other uncles she cares about so she just calls him that and it becomes his name sign.   
> With Zuko when ever she is around other people she spells his name out fully, it's short enough that its not a hassle. When she's around people she cares about she calls him Zuzu. The hand sign is her first two fingers extended and moved in a Z motion. When she's scared or angry her lightning bending will trace two Zs at the tips of her fingers.


End file.
